DOJ checks claims on cockfighters’ Taal Lake ‘burial’
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday it was looking into new developments in the case of the 34 missing “sabungeros,” or cockfighting aficionados, particularly the claim that their remains were buried in Taal Lake in Batangas.
This latest lead came from one of the suspects, identified only as “Totoy,” whom the Philippine National Police said it was ready to protect should he turn state witness.
“We will need technical divers to determine the veracity of the information because it’s deep. It’s not easy to go into a lakebed to look for human remains,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters at the DOJ.
The justice chief also said he was willing to talk to individuals who want to come forward about the case.
“I will speak to whomever would want to come here to tell the truth … This is very much into the question of the Filipino soul, how we can put to rest things that happened to us,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
He assured families of the cockfighting enthusiasts, who disappeared without a trace more than three years ago, that efforts to uncover the truth and recover possible remains are ongoing.
“We cannot set the case aside when we have not exhausted all efforts to retrieve the human remains. We need to find a way to locate the bodies or the remains of the missing persons,” he said.
Plausible story
In an interview aired by GMA News on Wednesday, Totoy claimed that the missing sabungeros were already dead and dumped in Taal Lake, a site he alleged was also used for disposing drug lords.
Totoy, who was identified as a former security guard at the popular cockfighting venue Manila Arena, said the victims were “killed softly” by strangling them using a tie wire.
He added that he would identify the mastermind behind the killings at the right time.
Remulla said Totoy’s story could be plausible but stressed that the DOJ is still verifying facts and building the case.
“If there is really no trace (of where they ended up), it can be a credible story … When you vanish without a trace, then it must be somewhere people have not been able to look into,” Remulla said.
He added that the testimonies may be admissible in court, but emphasized the need to carefully vet the information alongside the accounts of other witnesses.
He also disclosed that while some of the accused have posted bail, others have yet to be charged in court.
Execute sworn affidavit
At the PNP, its spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said Totoy must execute a sworn affidavit as part of the case buildup process.
“The PNP is ready to provide police assistance, including giving security to this new witness who just surfaced,” Fajardo told reporters.
She added that PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III was even willing to go to the site where the missing sabungeros were allegedly buried.
“It’s been years. If they really were buried there, we don’t expect that we will still see bodies there. If not, perhaps, only the remains or bones. It will take a long process,” Fajardo said.
Case history
In January 2023, charges were filed against several suspects in the disappearance of sabungeros Marlon Baccay, James Baccay, Mark Joseph Velasco, John Claude Inonog, Rowel Gomez and Rondel Cristorum.
The DOJ, in a resolution released in December 2022, found that six suspects conspired in their disappearance on Jan. 13, 2022.
In February 2023, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group released “wanted” posters for six security guards, namely, Julie Patidongan, alias Dondon; Mark Carlo Zabala; Roberto Matillano Jr.; Johnry Consolacion; Virgilio Bayog and Gleer Codilla, alias Gler Cudilla. They were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
The DOJ also offered a P6-million reward for any information leading to their arrest.
In September 2023, the six suspects were arrested based on an arrest warrant issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40.
No bail was recommended at the time of their arrest. However, on Dec. 15, 2023, the same court, presided over by Judge Rebecca Guillen-Ubana, granted the six suspects provisional liberty upon posting P3-million bail each.
CA ruling
In December 2024, however, the Court of Appeals canceled the bail to the six Manila Arena security personnel. It upheld this decision on May 6.
It said its evaluation of the evidence showed “evident proof or presumption that the private respondents committed the crime [they are] charged [with].”
Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting said on Thursday that a petition has been filed before the high tribunal questioning the CA ruling.
‘E-sabong’ link
In a separate case, three former police officers—Patrolmen Rigel Brosas and Roy Navarete, and Staff Sgt. Daryl Paghangaan—surrendered to authorities in January 2023 after the San Pablo City, Laguna, RTC Branch 29 issued arrest warrants for the Aug. 30, 2021, abduction of “e-sabong” master agent Ricardo “Jonjon” Lasco.
Claiming to be National Bureau of Investigation agents, the three policemen allegedly took valuables worth P10 million from four women who were at Lasco’s house at the time of the abduction.
Based on the complaint from Lasco’s relatives, the police officers “arrested” him based on a warrant in connection with an estafa case.
In March 2022, the Senate launched an inquiry into the alarming rise in the disappearance of sabungeros believed to be linked to e-sabong activities. Although the incidents occurred over different periods, they shared disturbing similarities in the manner they were carried out.
Atong Ang denial
According to witness testimonies, many of the victims were last seen in the custody of cockpit arena security personnel, allegedly being questioned over suspected involvement in “paninyope”—a local term for game-fixing schemes.
Notably, six out of the eight major cases under investigation took place in arenas operated by Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., a company owned by controversial businessman and former gaming consultant Charlie “Atong” Ang.
Ang, however, denied any involvement, claiming the accusations were part of a conspiracy by his rivals in the gamefowl industry and described the allegations as a “trial by publicity.”
The Senate inquiry concluded in April 2022. A month later, then President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a halt to all e-sabong operations, citing the grave social cost and the unresolved cases of missing individuals. —WITH REPORTS FROM FRANCES MANGOSING AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
Sources: Inquirer Archives, pna.gov.ph
